nvALT 3 on Apple Silicon: Upgrade and Keep Your Existing Notes
A native Apple Silicon version of nvALT is out, but the updater in your old copy never finds it. Where do you get it, and what happens to your notes and Simplenote sync?
- nvALT 3 runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel with macOS 12 or later. Existing users need a direct download.
- Updating preserves database-only libraries; converting to Markdown creates a new notes folder.
- Version 3.0.5 restores Simplenote sync using an emailed code instead of your old password.
You can update nvALT without waiting for nvUltra
For an existing nvALT user on an Apple Silicon Mac, a native version is now available from Brett Terpstra’s release announcement. The October 24 update requires macOS 12 or later and supports both Apple Silicon and Intel. Download it directly: the old in-app updater cannot upgrade the previous release to 3.x. In-app updates work again once the new version is installed.
As of October 26, the announcement offers version 3.0.5. nvUltra is a separate successor, not the name of this update. Terpstra says it remains unreleased to the general public, and describes the nvALT work as a way to keep existing users going while they wait.
Updating the app does not automatically unpack your database
New libraries default to individual text files, but existing database-only libraries keep their storage format. Installing the native app therefore does not, by itself, produce a folder of Markdown documents.
| Your situation | What changes |
|---|---|
| Creating a new library | Individual plain-text files are the default. |
| Opening an existing database-only library | The existing storage arrangement remains. |
| Choosing Convert to Markdown | Converted and copied notes go into a new folder, which becomes the active notes folder. |
The Convert to Markdown command in Notes settings converts rich text and copies existing plain-text notes. It leaves the original folder unchanged. A rich-text library also gets a one-time conversion prompt on launch.
This separates two decisions: keeping nvALT usable on current hardware, and making your notes easier to open in other editors. You can handle the app upgrade first and choose file conversion when you need it.
Simplenote is back in 3.0.5, with a different login
The first 3.0 release removed Simplenote because its old login had stopped working. The October 25 follow-up restores sync with the email-code flow:
- Open Settings → Notes → Synchronization.
- Enter your email address and click Email Code.
- Paste the emailed code or the full link. The field no longer accepts the password saved by an older nvALT release.
nvALT stores the resulting sync token in the keychain. Terpstra traced the old failure to an authentication host that no longer responded, making the timeout look like a password problem. Re-entering the same password does not use the replacement login path.
Marked Share serves a different purpose. It publishes an individual note and provides a share link; it is not full-library online sync or backup.
If the old app will not open, export the database separately
Terpstra’s NVALT Export can extract notes from a Notes & Settings database. The exporter requires macOS 13 or later, a different requirement from nvALT itself.
Choose the notes folder or database file, select an output folder, supply the password for an encrypted database, and run Export to Markdown. It produces one .md file per note. Legacy .blor databases and Word document storage are outside its direct conversion support.
To keep your current workflow, update the app and reconnect Simplenote if you use it. To prepare for another editor, follow with a deliberate export or Markdown conversion.